Sam's Reprise
by etherealcomet
Summary: There was once a witch who saved Earth from Evil, but she gave up her memories to live a normal life. Now in Oz, will Sam remember who she is to take down the evil Dorothy and restore order? Crossover between Wicked and Dorothy Must Die.
1. Chapter 1

A little background on this story: I just recently finished "Dorothy Must Die" by Danielle Paige, and something hit me hard in the head and said that I should find some clever way to tie it into the existing world of Wicked. So I'm doing just that, with some liberties taken, of course. These stories don't exactly fit together as much more than a shared place. This story takes place sometime after Out of Oz, the last book in the Wicked universe, and a little time after Dorothy Must Die. Amy dies and the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked is still looking to take Dorothy down. As it stands, this story doesn't have a beta, so all mistakes are my own, and I ENCOURAGE you to let me know in the comments or in a PM. If my writing goes unchecked, how do I get better as a writer?

Chapter 1: The Wicked

She remembered little of her life before what the Ozians took to calling travel storms. Sometimes, over the decades since the first Outsider, Dorothy, was dropped in, others would come, and Sam was just the latest in a short line of them. There were no childhood memories she could pull up in her mind, no scraped knees and learning to ride a bike, nothing like that. It was her own joke that she'd never _actually_ been a child, that she'd just popped into life fully grown. Although, Sam supposed, there weren't any horrible memories that she wished never existed, and she didn't know anything about abusive parents. She didn't know if she even had a family. All she knew of her whole life was that she popped into the middle of a busy road in California and _knew_ that she just needed to walk south to an apartment that was apparently hers, decorated in some bohemian style that she wasn't entirely sure was something she liked. But there it was.

And here she was, wandering around some wreckage caused by the freak tornado that struck San Francisco. The news said it was unlikely to stick around once it hit the mountains, but it travelled all the way to the coast, to Sam's little top-floor apartment, taking her in the unit. Sam's belongings were strewn everywhere, and she wasn't entirely sure if she should try to gather anything—most of it was broken or torn apart by the winds—or find help. A vague awareness that she was incredibly dizzy hit her as she took a step away from the wreck, a voice calling out "Don't!" not registering before she hit the ground.

Sam woke up again to the same greyscale surroundings, but this time, a little squat woman was standing over her with a bloodied cloth. There was pressure around her head, and as she tried to sit up, the woman pushed her down with a forceful hand.

"You shouldn't do that, dear. That was some nasty fall you took from the sky. Left you with a nice big gash on your head, but if you'll stay still…"

Sam blinked and stopped paying attention, noting that another figure had emerged, a figure with green skin. Her eyes widened as the young (woman?) knelt next to her.

"I can help a bit, Miss Wren."

The woman with the bloodied rag nodded and stood away from Sam.

The green girl took Miss Wren's place by Sam and took her hand gingerly. "I'm Rain, Miss. I hope my color doesn't bother you, but I'm going to help heal that cut on your head." Rain looked at her disapprovingly as she caught Sam's eyes widen even more. A green hand reached up to the cut, and Sam hissed at the sting when Rain's hand made contact. "It might hurt a bit"

And hurt it did. A white light flashed just above Sam's line of vision, and her eyes started to water as the burning sensation dulled. It stopped when Rain removed her hand, and the girl looked to Miss Wren with an outstretched hand to ask for the rag, which Miss Wren was only too happy to give.

"That cut might scar a bit, but you're not going to need any bandages for it," Rain stated plainly and got up. Sam watched her walk off toward a tree stump to sit, and Miss Wren quickly replaced Rain by Sam's side.

Sam looked to the sky and took a deep, shaky breath before turning her gaze to her companion. "Where am I?"

Miss Wren gave such a worried gaze that Sam was afraid she might be sent to a hospital to have her head examined. "Oz, of course!"

The young woman took note of the sad tone in Miss Wren's voice as she said it, like it was not such a pleasure to be in this place. Sam bolted upright, ignoring a twinge in her head at the motion. "Oz? You're kidding. There's no such thing! It's a fairytale, a book, a movie, but not real." Sam blew air up into her bangs as Miss Wren's eyebrows crinkled.

"It's a fuckin' nightmare, girl. This is no fairytale. Oz is definitely real," Rain said harshly, standing from her tree stump and walking over to Sam. She reached down to grab Sam's arm and yanked her to a standing position. They were just about the same height, Sam maybe half an inch taller, but Rain seemed to have grown in her sudden anger. "It's you people that keep making things difficult. We could be killed for even talking to you."

Miss Wren looked uncomfortable. "Miss Rain, we could get killed because of _you_. Talking to an outsider wouldn't make much difference to our cases. We're as good as dead if we're caught, and we should move on soon if we don't want that to happen."

Rain shot a glare at Miss Wren but conceded with a nod. She threw Sam's arm away from her and stomped off in a direction away from the wreckage. Miss Wren moved to follow, and Sam suddenly realised that something was moving under a pile of clothing and papers. When it mewled, Sam's eyebrows shot up in surprise and she threw herself down to dig the creature out.

"Artemis!"

The pair of Ozians turned at the exclamation to see that Sam had pulled a black cat out of the rubble. Miss Wren looked upon the scene enthusiastically, and Rain rolled her eyes before turning back to her path, muttering something about another thing to deal with.

Sam caught up to the group holding the dirty thing in her arms. "This is my cat, Artemis. I thought for sure he was gone, but it looks like he's just fine. Isn't that right, kitty?" She buried her face in his dusty fur, and the cat let out a loving meow.

"Oh, isn't that just wonderful, Miss Rain?"

Rain rolled her eyes again. "Just great."

Sam noticed that the sun's position never moved from its spot directly above them, even after what seemed like hours as they travelled their way to a nameless destination. "What's with the weather here?" Sam finally asked, pointing her chin upward.

Miss Wren answered. "Dorothy can't be bothered to turn the hands of the Great Clock sometimes, so the sun stays up. It's caused a horrible drought, especially since we're about to hit the hotter summer months. Illswater has already dried up."

Sam took another long glance upwards and shrugged her shoulders. "Isn't Dorothy some kind of hero? She defeated the Wizard, right?"

Rain snorted and turned to Sam with a withering look. "_Dorothy_ is a menace, a real bitch. Ever since she became an adviser to that Lion, the 'Throne Minister of Oz' she learned how to use magic, and has been using it ever since.

"She was supposed to go home, Dorothy, La Gale of Oz, but she decided to stay here with that wretched dog of hers. I watched her succumb to insanity. We found the Ozma Tippetarius together with that Mombey, and I became green again, and things were okay for a while. Then that fucking book found its way to her hands, and she had magic. Just like that. She threw The Cowardly Lion out of his position in the palace and announced herself princess. She brought in those fools too. The Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow, and The Cowardly Lion. They've all become something horrible and twisted. None of them are as I remember them, as anyone remembers."

Sam turned to Miss Wren. "So what happened that made Dorothy crazy?"

"Magic," Rain interjected. "Once she had a taste of magic, she couldn't tame it. She became obsessed, and by then she had subdued Ozma and taken the crown, made those goons her terrifying servants. She even pulled Glinda out of Southstairs to help her mine for magic. Glinda isn't even the same anymore. And she can be worse than Dorothy sometimes."

"Can't somebody _do_ something?" Sam asked.

Rain scoffed and turned back to the road, which Sam was seeing as yellow and brick now. The Yellow Brick Road under her very feet was dusty and not looking as yellow as the stories made it to be, but then again, Oz wasn't anything like she'd heard of. "You're _really_ not from here. There was a girl from Kansas, that place that Dorothy is from. She was pulled from there in a travel storm and trained by some witches to use magic and fight. She almost had the bitch too, but something happened and Dorothy got away. Glinda caught up and killed that girl Amy on the spot, and the rest of the resistance went into hiding again. Nobody has heard of anything since, and it's been seven years. The magic is almost gone now. Oz is dying."

Sam could feel the sadness is Rain's voice as she spoke. It seemed that Dorothy wasn't as revered as she once was. "Wait," Sam said, the story catching up to her. "If that girl was pulled from Kansas to defeat Dorothy, then could that mean that I was yanked from San Fran to do the same?"

Miss Wren looked confused. "How _did _you get here?"

Sam shrugged. "A tornado, a freak tornado showed up in San Francisco, of all places, and carried me off. I woke up here. I don't really know what happened in between."

"You came by travel storm? Dorothy can't know that you're from there. If you get caught, Miss, you're dead."

"Samantha," she said and moved the cat in her arms to extend a hand to Miss Wren, who beamed at the name Sam supplied. "But everyone calls me Sam."

"What a pretty name," Miss Wren crooned, and Rain made a gagging sound.

"Get ready, you two; we're almost there," Rain said, looking like she was going to be sick.

Sam looked forward in eager interest to see what looked like a hill with a shed atop it. "Do you live there?"

Rain and Miss Wren exchanged amused glances. "We're going underground," Rain said, and Miss Wren giggled. Something about staying in the shed was funny, and as they approached, two figures stepped out of the small door in the front. Sam realized that it would be much too small to house so many people.

The figures, Sam noted upon reaching the shed, were a couple of old biddies. One wore an ill-fitting, deep crimson dress that she was swimming in. She was scrawny and her grey hair had certainly seen better days. There was a wisdom and warmth in her bright blue eyes. The other woman was wearing a pair of black pants and a large purple shirt. Her blonde hair didn't show her age as much as the wrinkles on her face. Her grey eyes looked over Sam with disinterest. For Rain and Miss Wren, they looked like worried grandmothers welcoming their children inside. The one wearing the purple blouse held out a hand and grabbed Miss Wren when they were in reach.

"You two have been out all day, you idiots!"

Miss Wren followed the movement of the group into the shed, which became cramped very quickly with the five of them all standing huddled together on one side. "Mombi, we picked up an Outsider. She came by travel storm from a place called San Francisco. Her name is Sam, and I think her cat's name is Artemis."

The older women looked at Sam. The blue-eyed woman gave her a weary, tired look. "We've been through this before, girls. You stay away from those tornadoes. We've had more than once of us killed for fraternizing with Outsiders, and now you've just brought one back."

Rain surprised everyone by saying, "Mombi, this one's different. Really different. I watched her get tossed from that tornado up in the clouds. She should have been killed, but something saved her, and I don't think it was that cat."

Artemis licked a paw and stretched it up to touch Sam's jaw. Sam looked down at her pet's loving gaze but kept her ears open to the conversation at hand.

Mombi shifted and looked at Rain in anger. "I don't care how different she is. Unless she came wielding magic and a way to solve our problems, then she's a great danger to us all. We're barely surviving. The magic is depleting, and that bitch Dorothy is sending her hunters out every day to look for us. This girl is going to get us killed."

And with that, Mombi stomped off, attracting Sam's attention only for her to realise that they were no longer in the shed, but in an underground dirt tunnel. She looked up to find dirt overhead as well. The group followed the same path, taking many twists and turns. They finally ended up at an ending opening up to a huge cave with a spring in the center and wildlife thriving along the walls. As soon as Sam stepped into the cave, a flower bloomed beneath her feet.

The other old lady just stared at the spot under Sam's foot in wonder. "Do you have magic?"

Sam looked at her with a bewildered expression. "Who? Me?" The lady nodded. "I don't have any. I'm just normal. Just Sam."

"You're sure? Flowers don't grow from thin air, girl."

"Gert, stop harassing her. She's been through so much already. Rain had to heal her head. She might not know anything about herself right now," Miss Wren stepped in, tossing her shoulder-length brown hair back over her shoulder.

The old lady, Gert, chuckled. "This girl's got something alright, but I've got a feeling she's been through much worse than falling through the sky and bumping her head." 

Rain quickly grew bored of the conversation and walked off in a different direction than Mombi had, and Miss Wren followed closely behind, leaving Gert and Sam alone. Artemis decided that he no longer wanted to be held, so he scrambled from Sam's arms and down to the floor.

"Handsome cat you have there. He seems to like you," Gert said.

Sam watched him walk over to the spring and paw around in the water. "He adores me. I'm not sure how long I've had him though. I'm not sure of anything, actually."

Gert's gaze also went to the cat, but quickly returned to its owner. "I think you'll remember soon enough."

"Are you always so cryptic?"

"When I need to be. You'll learn."

Sam watched the woman disappear through a doorway and shrugged. "C'mon, cat," she called, and Artemis perked up with a meow and followed along at her heels. They emerged in a room with a table and chairs, an elaborate chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and richly-colored fabrics hanging from the walls. Mombi was nowhere to be seen, but the other three were sitting down, and a boy had joined them. He stood up immediately upon arrival of the new guest with an outstretched hand.

"Nox," he supplied, and Sam shook it, noting his sweaty palm. When they let go, she wiped her hand on her jeans and nodded at him.

"I'm Sam."

The cat meowed loudly and stepped through her legs. "And that's Artemis, who probably feels left out of introductions."

The group smiled, and Miss Wren giggled at the cat's antics. He jumped into the nearest chair and wrapped his long tail around his feet. Sam smiled at him and reached over to pet the top of his head. "I've had this cat ever since I can remember. He's always liked me, though I suspect there's something more to him than meets the eye. He doesn't always act like a cat. There's something too proper about his behaviour, but he's been loyal and friendly to me the whole time I've known him."

Gert gave a knowing smile, and Sam's faltered a bit. Nox reached over to pet Artemis as well, but the cat ducked his head and turned his yellow eyes in an angry gaze to his assailant.

"Guess he doesn't like me much," Nox shrugged. He stepped back respectfully and around to the other side of the table. "We were just about to eat if you'd like to join us. Then Wren can get a room ready for you."

Miss Wren nodded and folded her hands above the table like Rain was doing.

The meal appeared on the table, making Sam jump at the sudden visual change, and the rest of the group set about taking food onto their plates. Sam took something green and mushy onto hers and fought to keep from gagging.

"It's healthy for you. We can't afford to eat like royalty here, but it'll fill you up, make you full," Gert said.

Sam blanched at the comment. "Did you just…?"

Gert looked surprised at herself. "I'm sorry, dear, I don't know what came over me. It just happens sometimes, you know. I don't always remember that not everyone knows about me."

Sam raised an eyebrow, but quickly returned to her food, poking at it with a spoon. Artemis laid down in the chair beside her and rolled around.

The dinner was over quickly, and Sam followed Miss Wren to a small cave that was clearly for guests. It didn't even need sprucing up.

"It's perfect," Sam said as she stepped further in, marvelling at the light made of tree branches, and the sunken bed in the center of the room. A vanity sat on one wall, and a wardrobe its opposite. Dark, emerald green fabrics hung from the ceiling leaving no dirt or rock above exposed. It almost looked like being in a forest, Sam thought briefly before diving into the center bed. She found the pillows to be extremely soft, and her body immediately relaxed.

Miss Wren clapped her hands happily. "I'm so glad you like it! Someone will be back in the morning to help you find your way to breakfast."

Sam didn't bother to listen, focusing intently on her soft new bed. She quickly fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Sam awoke with a start upon realizing that Gert was standing over her was a goofy grin. She sat up and her eyes fell upon the bed of poppies and grass that she was lying upon. Gone were the pillows and the blanket. The air was humid and warm, and Sam felt suddenly sick.

Gert stepped forward and reached out. "Come, girl, we haven't got all day."

"All day for what?" Sam asked as she reached for the hand.

"To teach you about what you're going to do."

Sam paused. "You're going to make me kill Dorothy, aren't you?"

Gert nodded and smiled. "One day, but not today. You're not ready, but you'll start learning today."

They arrived at the table, everyone sitting down already, including the cat. A pile of books sat next to Sam's place at the table, and she looked worriedly at Gert. "Am I going to need to read those?"

Rain answered, "Yes. If you want to know anything about Oz and the way that we _actually_ live here, then you'll read about it. There are books, and underneath, there are newspapers and magazine articles that have been highlighted for you to read. Most of it is garbage, but there's a fair bit of history in there."

The dizzying feeling Sam felt in her room started to come back, but it swam in her vision and she felt herself forced into her chair by Gert.

"Eat. You'll need your strength."

The meal ended quickly enough, and Sam took her books back to her room and put them on the vanity. She picked up a book of children's stories and set it to the side. After searching through some of the books, she made her way through the pile of newspapers, and a picture caught her eye.

A woman, clad in black and a black pointy hat, was featured on the front page. It read: **The Wicked Witch is Dead! **The article talked about a place called Kiamo Ko that once housed the Wicked Witch of the West, and the fight that happened between the Witch, Dorothy, and her compatriots in an attempt to assassinate the Witch. It seemed pretty gruesome. The whole newspaper was about it. There was an interview from Glinda, Dorothy herself, the Wizard, and some Madam Morrible, vizier to the Wizard.

Sam put it down and picked up a magazine and turned to a folded page that bore a sickening amount of pink and Glinda's picture. It was an article about her life. In it, she talked about her school days at Shiz Universty, and how she came to meet the Wicked Witch of the West. They were actually friends once, but after a meeting with the Wizard, things turned sour and the women became enemies. Glinda went on to become a popular ruler, and the Witch, Elphaba Thropp was her name, became a public menace. Apparently she was in line for Emminence in Quadling Country, but after she left school so suddenly, she gave up her right to the throne.

Sam mulled over some of the information, but wanted to know more about the woman in the striking newspaper picture. Surely something happened that made her turn evil, but why didn't any of the articles talk about it?

"Because Oz needed an enemy to bring it together in a time when all was falling apart, and the Wizard chose no better than Elphaba."

Sam spun around to face Gert, already in a defensive stance at being startled.

"You've got good reflexes," Gert nodded, "They'll keep you safe when you're out there." The woman pointed up.

Sam shrugged. "I think you're putting too much faith in me. What if I'm like that one girl? What if I get killed?"

Gert shook her head, clucking her tongue at Sam. "Girl, listen to me. You've got some pretty powerful magic deep in those veins of yours. Your Cat talks about it, and there's not a single way you'd have been able to make that," Gert pointed at the bed, "without it. You need to believe in yourself because that's the only way you're ever going to learn. You might not remember it, but you were _something_ in your other world."

Sam looked away from the intense gaze Gert was giving her. "My cat?"

"Ahh yes. You have a book of stories there. It'll explain Animals to you."

"What do you mean by animals?"

"I mean Animals. You'll understand when you read that book."

"Um, okay?" Sam felt more confused than ever. Her cat talking? Sure, Artemis was pretty chatty, but he never spoke English to her.

Gert left the room, and Sam went back to her books. She picked up the one Gert had pointed to and started reading about Lurline and the river and how the animals that jumped in became Animals, and those that stayed behind stayed as animals. Sam felt like she'd only discovered one part of it. So what were Animals then? They could talk, but did they have rights and hold professions like people did?

Another book explained the Banns on Animal rights, and Sam felt her heart break at reading about all the horrible things that happened. It was just like the Nuremburg Laws in Nazi Germany, just a different scapegoat.

"Elphaba fought for Animals, you know. She went to the Wizard and begged him to help. After that is history, but she fought him for years and created a resistance of Animals to fight him."

Sam looked up into the mirror of the vanity and saw Rain standing behind her. "Did she have green skin too?"

Rain nodded. "From everything I've heard, that seems to be the one thing that freaks everyone out the most. She was my grandmother. My father, Liir, was her son. I didn't even know of my…condition until a spell that brought back Ozma also summoned my color. My father didn't know her as a mother though. He was raised in the Cloister of Saint Glinda by the maunts there, and went with Elphaba to Kiamo Ko. It was only after she died that the pieces fell together."

Sam watched the girl's eyes. She had been through so much, and now, it seemed that her family wasn't even around. "And your mother and father? What happened to them?"

"When Ozma was summoned back from the form she was trapped in, she took rule. But then Dorothy took over everything, shoved Ozma out of the way, and started taking prisoners and killing them. My parents were killed by the Tin Woodman. They were some of the first 'examples' to Oz of what would happen should anyone try to stop her. I was forced to watch, and then I ran away and was found by Gert."

Sam inhaled sharply at the sullen look that crossed Rain's face. "That's awful. At least you knew them. I don't remember anything about my life. I just sort of appeared. No family, no childhood, just me. And Artemis, I suppose."

Rain raised an eyebrow and looked at Sam suspiciously. "You might want to have a chat with that Cat of yours then. He seems to know quite a bit about you."

"I don't think that my cat is a Cat, okay? He's been silent the whole time I've had him. Why would he start talking now?"

Rain shrugged. "I don't know how magic works where you're from. Maybe he can't do the things he can here."

She left just then, leaving Sam to her thoughts. She was suddenly hungry and was about to get up in search of a snack when a plant suddenly sprouted. She watched in fascinated horror as it grew up her leg and snap peas started growing off of the vine. A strangled scream escaped her as she pulled away from it, falling onto the bed of poppies as she went.

"_It's always there, Samantha, flowing, buzzing all around you. All you have to do is think of what you want it to do, and it will obey you,_" a voice rang out in Sam's head. It was clear and warm, nothing like anything she'd heard before. It sounded familiar.

Nox and a girl whose face was half metal ran in at that moment, and she panicked, wanting them far away from her. They were suddenly swept away from her and into the air, hitting the cavern wall behind them. Nox jumped up into a defensive position, a fireball poised in his hand, ready to be sent into action.

The pea plant fell to the ground and snaked its was over to the vanity and curled around the leg, finally becoming restful and unmoving. Nox watched it carefully, and Sam's eyes opened more than they had been, but there were tears welling up.

A wave of emotion his Nox, and it sent him to his knee. There was such despair and hopelessness in the girl's emotions. He motioned to the other girl in the tunnel to follow him closer to Sam, who burst into tears at that moment.

"Nox, this girl just did some pretty powerful magic. We need to back off."

The boy shook his head. "She's scared, Melindra. She doesn't remember the life Artemis was telling us about. She gave it up."

Rain appeared in the room and looked immediately to Nox for explanation. He shrugged when he couldn't come up with anything good.

"I think that plant is what freaked her out. She started crying when it moved itself to that table leg there," he pointed. Rain's gaze followed his finger to the vine.

"Peas?"

"She knocked us back with some pretty powerful spell when we came in though. She's spooked."

Rain took one last look from the peas to Sam, who was still crying, and disappeared in a puff of white steam.

Melindra let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm not going to tell you what to do with the girl, but I'm not going to stay around for round two."

And with that, Nox and Sam were left in the room. He slowly moved closer, hands raised slightly in surrender. "I'm not going to hurt you, Sam. I just want to talk."

She sniffed twice and shifted aside for Nox to sit next to her.

"I know that this is scary. Especially since you seem to have so much power running through you. I don't think it knows what to do with itself. It's coming out in weird ways and freaking you out, and that's okay. You just have to get a hold on it for now. Gert and Mombi are going to help train you to do that, but you have to trust it. You can't be scared of it, okay?" He set a hand on the one Sam had set on the ground.

She nodded with another sniff and wiped at her eyes with dirty fingers. Running a hand through her copper hair, she decided to go off in search of the spring, leaving Nox behind in her room. She didn't want to be around people, and she didn't want to learn magic, even if she did have it.

After another turn, Sam found herself in the cave with the spring, and Artemis was fishing around in it. "Hey, kitty cat."

"I'd rather you didn't," the Cat said in a baritone voice and turned around.

Sam might have laughed at the stark difference in pitch between his meows and his talking if not for her being so startled that she fell backwards.

"I'm sorry to startle you like this. I know you're very unsure of everything right now." As he padded his way over to her, his velvety voice washed over her.

"Y—you can talk!"

"So it seems."

Sam shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Still here," Artemis said when she opened them. He laid down in her lap and rolled onto his back, exposing his belly.

Still shocked, Sam reluctantly reached her hand into the soft fur she knew awaited her. "You can talk."

The Cat seemed annoyed by the topic. "We've established that, Sam. I can talk. I am a Cat."

"They said that you know about me, my life before. Nox said something about me giving up my memories. Can you tell me about it?" Sam asked, her hand unsteady and shaky while petting her Cat.

The Cat shook his head. "It was something _you_ decided long ago. You swore me to secrecy, that I'd never tell you."

She pushed him off abruptly, earning a hiss from him. "You told everyone else about my life, why not me?" Sam stood up angrily.

"It was _your _decision, Samantha. I'd be breaking a spell, and I'm rather fond of this color fur."

With an aloof swish of his tail, he jumped back onto the perimeter of the spring.

"Fuck you," Sam said and stomped to the other side of the spring, looking down into the water. "I wish I was anywhere but here. All of you are absolutely insane."

Out of the air formed a whirlwind that picked Sam up. Artemis managed to jump in just in time to be taken with Sam to the "anywhere," which happened to be a dark castle in the middle of nowhere, mountains flanking either side of it.

Sam fell to the ground with an ungraceful thud, and Artemis landed steadily next to her.

"Wh—where is this?"

Artemis gave her an annoyed look. "This is your magic. You tell me."

"I liked you better when you couldn't talk," Sam grumbled and pushed herself to stand.

The castle towered above them, an ominous grey hung in the air around the mountains. Sam shivered as a chilly wind passed through. A large set of double doors lead inside, and Sam moved to the handles. Before she could even touch the doors though, they were thrown open, and a green-skinned woman with long, black, silken hair stood before them, and angry gleam in her brown eyes.

"The Wicked Witch!"


	3. Chapter 3

The green woman let out a huff at her moniker, turning around and stomping into the castle. Sam looked down at Artemis and with a wistful expression, started her way in after The Witch, the cold of the dark castle inside chilling her to the bone. Her ragged shirt wasn't enough to keep her warm.

"Why don't you get up here and be a sweater for me, huh?" Sam asked of Artemis, who gave a sassy flick of his tail in response. "Not talking to me then? Fine. That's just fine."

A dimly lit hallway lead to a great hall of massive windows that hadn't been cleaned of their grime in a while. A long table sat in the middle with a border of chairs around it, but it was clear to Sam that nobody had used this room in a while. A door at the end had been opened, and Sam followed the light spilling through to find a courtyard. Seeing no other way to go, she pulled her head back inside and watched the first few drops of rain start to fall onto blades of grass.

"Which way, cat?"

The Cat gave her an unamused look and went off to the right and up to another door that Sam hadn't noticed before. Upon opening it, Sam was surprised at the light and warmth that emanated from the wing: the floors were clean and a vase with fresh flowers sat on a table next to the staircase, whose steps looked freshly polished. The floors were clean, and the sconces on the walls were bright and though not entirely cheerful, made it feel welcoming to Sam. Artemis began to walk up the steps when a voice called from the top.

"I wouldn't move any further, Cat, unless you want to be turned into a toad."

The Witch stood menacingly, her cold gaze upon Artemis, watching as he slowly removed his paw from the bottom of the staircase and made a slinky exit toward another door in the hallway.

Sam looked up to The Witch, staring at the shadowed form created by the light from behind her. She could tell there were more doors past the landing, but couldn't see beyond that. "Children like you, coming in your storms, coming to kill me, to kill Dorothy, you're all the same; you're all going to get what's coming to you."

Sam's eyebrows shot up in baffled surprise. "Excuse me?"

"I don't stutter," came the sassy reply, and Sam felt a small burst of anger roll through her.

"I didn't _ask_ to be dropped in here like this, Witch. I didn't even ask to just randomly appear here either, but your attitude leaves little to be desired. There's been nothing but riddles and secrets ever since I came here, but if you were good in any capacity, you'd at least let me in."

Though the Witch's face wasn't visible, Sam could swear she saw fire behind the woman's eyes before an invisible force knocked her onto her back. The form moved down the stairs in a predatory stance, and Sam's vision started to cloud over from her head smacking the stone below. "I think that maybe you'd be a little more grateful that you're even standing here in front of me right now," the Witch started, drawing closer to Sam, "if you spent some time in the dungeon."

Sam's plea for the Witch to wait was silenced by a flick of the green woman's hand, and Sam found herself on the uneven stone floor of what she assumed was the dungeon. A hole in the ceiling covered by bars was the only source of light, a dingy grey beam of light that highlighted all the dust that Sam had unsettled by her sudden arrival. Her eyes fought to adjust to the dim light in the cell. From what she could tell, there was no furniture anywhere in the small, circular space, just the cold, damp floor. The hopelessness Sam felt from earlier returned and from where she backed into the wall, she sank down to the ground and put her head on her knees, cursing her clothing and dumb luck.

It was maybe hours before Sam heard anything, a rustle of movement above. "Hello? I—is anyone there?"

The outline of a cat appeared at the grate in the ceiling, and Sam immediately stood. "A—Artemis?" She shivered and rubbed her hands over her arms to generate enough friction for heat.

The cat never moved from its spot, and after a moment, Sam got really frustrated.

"Artemis, you little fucker. The least you can do is talk to me since you got me into this in the first place." Forgetting about keeping herself warm, she pointed a finger at the cat, trying to illustrate her point.

The cat still didn't move, but let out a loud meow that didn't sound at all like Artemis. Sam stepped back in surprise. "Oh my god, I'm yelling at cats now. I'm going crazy." The cat meowed again, as if to agree with her. With a defeated groan, she sank back to her spot on the wall and looked down at the ground.

"I didn't think you were one to believe."

Sam jumped at the voice and lifted her eyes to the grate. Nobody was there or blocking the light, but Sam could hear the breathing up above. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You swore to the Unnamed God just now. Didn't peg you as the religious type."

The girl didn't think her eyes could roll far enough back into her head to show how ludicrous that statement sounded. "I don't believe in anything."

A small chuckle came from the woman. "You believe in your Cat as a way to deal with not having any friends. You believe that all of this is happening to you because something outside of you wishes it so. You believe in things, dearie, but you believe in all the wrong things."

"Hey! That's not fair!"

"Life isn't fair, girl." The sharp tone in the Witch's voice made Sam jump again.

She heard the dull footfalls above her head as the Witch walked away. Sam briefly thought on what the Witch wanted with her down here in the dungeon. She didn't think that she posed a threat, but then again, this was the Wicked Witch.

The hope that maybe she would be released from the tiny prison rolled around in her head as she watched the dust settle and the rays of light disappear into darkness.

When Sam woke up, a sweet scent passed through the first aware breath she took, and her eyes snapped open in shock. The ground was no longer damp but instead the same familiar softness she woke up to back in the caves. Her inspection revealed that she was again sleeping on a bed of poppies. It was contained to just the area Sam occupied as she slept, but the realization was enough to make the girl scream.

Stumbling to the other side of the cell, Sam's back hit the wall, and she was vaguely aware that the space was too small to get her comfortably away from the magical occurrence. She was next aware of the footsteps, heavy and angry, moving toward her.

The Witch's voice rang out, "What the hell are you doing?"

"The poppies," Sam answered, looking up in fear. "The poppies just appeared. They did it when I slept."

Light was blocked by the Witch's form over the grate. "I see no poppies, you little idiot."

Sam quickly looked to where she had been sleeping and she gasped at what she saw.

Nothing.

There were no poppies anywhere to be found. The scent was gone; they had disappeared. "B—but they were there! I _saw_ them when I woke up. I was sleeping on a whole bunch of them!"

"A likely story," the Witch grumbled. "You're not getting out so easily, girl. I have work to do."

Sam listened to the footsteps until they couldn't be heard, her eyes trained on _that_ spot the whole time. After a moment, she gave up trying to make the poppies come back by sheer will. "_I don't believe in magic_," she thought. "_This is all a dream, and I'm going to wake up in California tomorrow morning. The cat won't talk, there won't have been a tornado, and magic won't exist—doesn't exist."_


	4. Chapter 4

Author's note: This chapter takes place in the past and leads into the present. If you've read Out of Oz, you'll see that I've taken the scene from Glinda in Southstairs and made it longer but also tied it into the second book in the Dorothy Must Die series, The Wicked Will Rise. A little short but necessary chapter to give some background into a later event. There's a method to my madness, I swear. Enjoy!

_It had been a long and hard fight against that Amy Gumm and her friends. Glinda had holed herself up in the best bubble she could conjure and shot arrows at Polychrome until she died, all the while watching Dorothy and Amy go head-to-head with magic. And though she was holding her own against these other brats, just watching the girls was exhausting. _

_The fighting was over soon enough, and using her sweetest voice, she had convinced Dorothy to leave the battered remains of their enemies up in the clouds. Dorothy was such a sucker for that voice. Together, with Ozma, they made their way back down to the Emerald City. _

"_What do you suppose I should do with these?" Dorothy asked, holding up Amy's pack and pulling out the Tin Man's heart and the Lion's tail. The tail swished about lazily in Dorothy's grip, and the heart beat against her hand, looking like it had lost its battle._

_Glinda peered over to her companion, putting the connection together. "I think, my sweet, that you might want to see to it that you have the Scarecrow's gift from the Wizard in your possession. Who knows why that girl was collection them?"_

_Dorothy nodded as they flew over the yellow brick wall that had appeared. _

_No sooner had they reached the border of the Emerald City than Queen Lulu appeared and shouted at the trio, "We want the Queen, you witches!"_

_Glinda smirked. "Oh, I'm wounded by your words!" She held a dramatic hand up to her chest. "It's just too bad they don't stick." _

_With that, Glinda threw a pink ball of energy toward the monkey, who seemed to have grown in numbers as they floated there. _

_Queen Lulu barely avoided the energy, but caught her balance long enough to yell, "Attack!"_

_Surprised, the bubble popped, and Glinda couldn't think fast enough to conjure another before something sharp poked her neck and she felt the world slipping away from her. Dorothy looked like she was getting away with Ozma as the monkeys closed in on her. _

"_Elphie," she whispered as she succumbed to the darkness. _

_When Glinda awoke, the haze surrounded her, clouding her mind even as the room came into focus. A high-pitched giggle erupted from her mouth, and something in the back of her mind questioned it. Oh, the questions, she thought, and if Dorothy were here she'd make them go away. _

_But the doubt came creeping in waves, overshadowed by dark thoughts every time they appeared. Glinda's head felt like it was splitting open by the time any sort of movement registered from the cell she was beginning to recognize herself as being captured in. _

"_Come on in, dear, I won't bite," Glinda called out sweetly, a smile stretching uncomfortably across her face. _

"_I sincerely doubt that," came the voice of Queen Lulu. Glinda perked up a bit at recognizing the voice._

"_Ah, a Monkey. You vermin will be disposed of when Dorothy comes to rescue me!" she spat, the smile disappearing._

_Queen Lulu looked nonplussed at the girl's unwelcome reaction. "You know, dear girl, I'd think you'd be a little nicer. Southstairs was built to filter out the magic that makes you so high and mighty. But I think you'd remember that since your beginnings were just as humble as that Dorothy bitch."_

_Glinda sat up straight and pushed her chin forward. "You'd do well to remember that Dorothy is your queen!"_

_Lulu laughed, a foot stomping on the ground, much to Glinda's distaste. "Oh, Ga-linda, you were always such a righteous pain! Dorothy does not control us Monkeys any more than your green friend did when she made enemies with the Wizard all those years ago." Lulu noticed a deadly gleam in Glinda's eyes as she spoke and watched the woman shudder at a memory, presumably from the very war between the Witch and the Wizard._

"_You leave Elphaba out of this," Glinda replied darkly, the glare looking out of place on the normally chipper face. _

_Lulu took a step back to the entrance of the cell. "I might leave her out of it, but she very well might not leave herself out of it this time."_

_Glinda's dark gaze turned to confusion as Lulu stepped out of the cell. "What are you talking about, Monkey? Who's leaving herself out of what this time?" _

_There was no answer as the cell door closed seemingly of its own accord. Glinda felt a niggling of despair in her chest start to worm its way up as she looked at the blank walls of the windowless cell. She pushed it down as she took a large breath of air. Dorothy would realize that she wasn't going to get out of this by herself. She'd find her, right? _

_The doubt came back as strong as ever, and Glinda felt at war with herself as she tried to push it down. She continued the mental battle until she finally exhausted herself, unaware of any hour or time._

_The internal battle continued for days, weeks, months, and years. Glinda felt like time had stopped completely, that she was just going to live here forever. She sat up from her cot, remembering that at some point, she'd been upgraded from a pile of straw to a cot with a blanket and pillow. _

_But how long ago? _

In between bouts of insanity and raging about that little brat Dorothy, Glinda felt clarity like she'd not had in years. She could recall youthful years at Shiz, and oh, how long ago that was, she knew for certain. She remembered her emerald-skinned roomie. She remembered Fiyero.

Oh, Fiyero. Dorothy must have killed him by now. Taken out his brains and left him for dead or burned him to a crisp. If only Elphaba had been better at magic, then Fiyero might have had his wounds healed rather than turned to flammable straw. Oh, that woman was infuriating.

Oh, Elphaba.

"Elphie," she called out. "Elphie…"

When Glinda remembered Elphaba, the madness inside seemed to still. She was no longer confused about any allegiance to Dorothy—it really was magic that made her this way, but not her own. Hers had probably left her for good now, but Dorothy's lingered like a tick on the back of her neck. It made her spew nonsense and grow cross at everything, twisting her mind into something unrecognizable. Glinda only hoped that the girl was killed soon so that it could all stop, so that she could think of her sweet Elphaba in peace, no distractions, no interruptions.

Oh, Elphaba. Glinda cried for weeks after the melting of the green woman. She felt empty and hollow inside as she sent Dorothy back home, watched the rest of Oz celebrate a victory that Glinda felt shouldn't have happened. If only they were more accepting of her, Glinda remembered thinking often of the events. But there was nothing to be done. Elphaba, her best friend, was dead. Killed by a little girl who thought she was helping, who didn't seem so remorseful when she was taking off in that balloon.

And when the girl came back, Glinda had retreated so far into herself that she wanted to make the girl pay for taking away her Elphaba. So she taught the girl magic, became her consort, showed her Oz, and watched as darkness slowly overtook her, watched as the little brat became power hungry and evil, squashing and pulling magic out of every corner she could. When Glinda wasn't looking, Dorothy had ensnared her, making sure that Glinda could never stray. The doubt that Glinda had, the regrets at teaching the girl magic were slowly ebbing away with each new push of Dorothy's darkness, and soon Glinda forgot all about why she wanted to get close to Dorothy.

"I should have killed her when I had the chance!" Glinda shouted to the empty room. "I had it right there. That little girl would never have known what hit her."

With a sigh, Glinda stood up, bending backward to crack her back before shuffling over to the chamber pot. The smell of piss invaded her sense of smell as she squatted over it and hiked up her dress to pee.

Before her unfortunate arrival in Southstairs, Glinda would have thought of stooping over a pot to do one's business was unladylike and undignified. She would have thought that even before Dorothy's terror, but she recognized it now as the only choice she had, though an uncomfortable one at that. She hadn't gotten to wipe her ass or shower recently, but her body odour had stopped bothering her long ago. When you hadn't a chance to glamorize yourself in ages, it stopped becoming something to obsess over. She had stopped fussing over her hair long ago, letting in grow long and wild, not even thinking anymore to ask for it to be cut.

"You look like shit."

Glinda's eyes snapped up from where she was tearing her dress to the cell entrance to see Queen Lulu standing there. "You aren't looking much better these days, but at least I have an excuse."

The Monkey gave a huff and flapped her wings in annoyance. "Well I came to visit you since it's been three years. Tell me, are you still batty in the head? I heard from some old Maunt that you might be getting as crazy as her nowadays."

Glinda furrowed her eyebrows. "I haven't had any visitors since I arrived here. I haven't had any contact with any old crones save for you."

Lulu looked amused. "_She_ was an old crone. Yackle, she was called. Or at least I think that's what she said she was called, I don't know. I'm probably as batty as you are by now."

"How are things aboveground?"

Lulu shook her head. "I wouldn't worry yourself with what's going on up there. Down here is safe. _She_ wouldn't even think to come down here."

"She? Dorothy? Is she still around?" Glinda stood up and started to move toward the Monkey.

"Now listen here, witch, I'm still a queen and you will not approach me as some dirty commoner," Lulu said and beat her wings fiercely in Glinda's direction, the gust enough to knock her back a step.

Glinda gave a withering glare to the visitor. "That wasn't nice."

"Nice?" Lulu barked out in between shrill giggles, "Nice? Goodness, girl, nice shouldn't even be in your dictionary anymore. It's not like you've been Glinda the Good recently. You don't deserve anything."

Glinda deflated visibly at the former moniker. "Right."

"Oh, come now, girl. You've done some mighty awful things in the last decade. Don't tell me that you've gone soft in your old age."

The woman sighed and sat back down on the cot. "I don't know what I've gone." She sounded lost, and Lulu almost took pity on her but made one last comment at the girl's shrinking form.

"We all do crazy things for love."

Glinda heard the cell door slam shut and her head snapped up. "What do you mean love? I don't love Dorothy!"

She heard the answering cackle as Lulu walked away.

"I don't love Dorothy!" Glinda shrieked. She listened to the laugh as it echoed down the halls of Southstairs. It grew faint until either Queen Lulu stopped laughing or she was out of earshot. Glinda didn't know the prison well and hadn't even been past the first underground floor, but she was certain that she was deeper than that, especially for it to have such an impact on her magic.

The witch fell back onto the pillow, suddenly exhausted. What did that crazy old thing mean about love? Glinda had never _loved _anyone, at least not by the definition everyone knew. She didn't feel any sort of pull toward anyone special. Fiyero was a youthful crush and Chuffrey was an arranged marriage, a marriage made out of political gains; it was smart. But she didn't _love_ either of them. She didn't feel like she was home with either of them, not really. They were both nice men, but Glinda couldn't see herself living forever with either one.

Thinking back, Glinda wasn't sure she even really liked them. Sure, they were handsome, and Fiyero had always been so _nice_ but there wasn't any real attraction there.

_Didn't ever know what I wanted_, Glinda thought to herself and pulled the blanket over her head, resigning the one-sided conversation for when she woke up.

A loud rumble startled Glinda awake, and dust fell from the ceiling as she sat up, rubbing her eyes to find the source of the interruption of her sleep. Another bang from above shook the building, and Glinda briefly wondered if the war had made its way into the prison.

Another bang, closer this time, had Glinda in a panic. She knew that this might be her last moment alive, so she braced herself against the wall for the inevitable moment that she now knew was coming. With each new sound getting ever closer, Glinda held tighter to her dress, now a tattered mess after the years spent in the cell. Her hair fell into her eyes, and she didn't make even a move to push it away from her eyes as a figure in a pointed hat approached the cell door.

A long cloak fell behind the figure's shoulders, and their hands were encased in black gloves. Glinda's eyes widened as she saw the cell door open as if by—

"Magic." Glinda let the word fall from her lips as a barely whispered breath. She thought she remembered something about this person. It seemed so familiar, but she wasn't certain why. The figure approached her, and that was when she saw the broom that the person was carrying. "Oh, you wicked thing. You took your sweet time," Glinda said, not really knowing why she felt compelled to say anything to this person.

She felt tired and fought against it as she tried to remember the last time she saw this person, though she hadn't seen the person's face. There was a black mask over it, but she thought she saw the slightest hint of green as the person pulled her onto the broomstick and they sped off through the dark halls of Southstairs and up through the many levels of cells before finally breaking into daylight. Glinda felt herself drifting to sleep, but the strong arms of her companion—savior?—wrapped around her to hold tight to the broomstick, and she let her eyes close for the first time since the exciting escape.


	5. Chapter 5

Sam had closed her eyes and slept, and she repeated the cycle nine times over. Her monotonous wall-staring when awake was only broken by the Wicked Witch dropping a plate of food onto the floor once a day. At some point—Sam hadn't cared to pay attention—the Witch had dropped a bucket for bathroom use down. It sat as far opposite the area Sam now occupied with sitting and sleeping, the smell of her own waste wafting into the stale air.

She couldn't even be sure how long she had been there since the sun had risen and stayed there. Apparently Dorothy forgot to turn the clock again. With a heavy sigh, she leaned her head back against the wall, wishing for her liberation from the cell. It had been at least a few hours, and the Witch hadn't returned to bring her food.

Something near the grate caught her attention, and her head snapped up toward the noise to see a cat.

"Bored?" the voice asked.

Sam held up her middle finger toward the animal, bringing her gaze back down into the cell. A chuckle could be heard from the Cat.

"Well that's not very nice, especially since I came all the way down here to give you some company. I know you're dying to get out of there."

Sam lifted her shoulders in a shrug, placing her hands on her knees as she looked up again. "You haven't been here to visit in days. You don't get to waltz in here and say that you're here to chat it up while I waste away down here."

"Annoyed, are we? You should be glad. A clan of the Yunamata tribe came through, and we had to hide for a few days. You were already hidden here, so you were safe. They never found the lower levels."

"There were people here?" Sam stood up and immediately fell back down from fatigue.

"Careful. Yes, someone was here. They trashed the place, and our dear hostess had to clean up. Didn't take long, but it was a mess."

Sam let her head droop to the floor as she stared at the now fuzzy shadow of her Cat. "Goodness…"

"You okay in there?"

Sam didn't hear it as everything else slowly faded into fuzzy vision, a pressure and silence in her ears, the cell around her falling from her sight as everything succumbed to darkness.

The first thing Sam knew was that she wasn't in the cell. The air was dry, and something smelled of rotten food. A fly buzzed by her face, and she swatted at it as she sat up.

"Oh, you're awake."

Her head cocked to the side, and she narrowed her eyes at the first real close up view she had of her captor. "What happened?"

"You fell and blacked out. Your cat alerted me to your need for medical attention, so I brought you up here," the Witch said, turning away from Sam to set something on the windowsill next to a large bookcase.

Upon closer examination, Sam could tell that it held many of the same books she was forced to read back in the caves, but there were others about histories and activism, and many books on religion interspersed between. "Have you read all of these?" Sam asked in awe at the large volume of books housed there.

The woman shook her head in the affirmative. "Yes," she replied simply.

Sam's eyes came across a large book closed on a stand near the window. The cover looked to be leather and old at that, pieces falling off in tiny strips from use and old age. "What's that book?"

The Witch looked from Sam and followed her gaze. "Something you shouldn't ever think to touch if you'd like to see the next day of your life."

Sam was taken aback by the sudden hostile tone. "Oh. I didn't mean to pry."

"Well you did and you are, girl. Go downstairs and find the kitchen. I have no use for you right now," the Witch said, shooing her away with a green hand full of papers.

Surprised at the gesture, Sam stood up from her makeshift bed of blankets and pillows on the floor and went in search of the kitchens. The hallways were difficult to navigate, but she eventually found herself at the bottom of the stairs she had recognized from the first voyage into the house proper. The kitchen was around to the other side, and she found a steaming hot plate of some sort of meat (was it beef?) and a glass of water next to it. A couple of pitiful ice cubes floated around in it, but Sam gulped it down immediately, too thirsty upon spotting it to care. She sent silent thanks to the Witch for the meal and picked up the fork to dig into the food on the plate.

As she finished, she heard a voice from below the table speak out. "So she finally let you out. I'm surprised by her generosity, but then again, she _is_ the Wicked Witch, as they call her."

Sam wasn't familiar with this voice and was shocked when a monkey with wings greeted her. "Oh, um, hello? Who are you?"

"The name's Chistery," the monkey said and held out a polite hand to Sam, who took it gingerly.

"So you're one of the Witch's flying monkeys?"

"She may have sewn these wings on, but I'm not her property. She saved me from a dog as an infant. Mind you, she doesn't like being called a witch. Call her by her name if you want to address her, or you'll be back in the dungeon before you can finish your breath."

Chistery walked out of the kitchen as he finished speaking, leaving Sam once again alone in the room. But what was the Witch's name? Sam couldn't remember what that article had called her. Something Thropp, she thought she remembered, but tabloid articles got facts wrong all the time. It could have easily been something else.

Sam explored the rest of this wing of the castle, not daring to go to the other side lest she not be able to call for help in the case she ended up lost. She found the bathroom, a small room with a toilet and some rolled up paper to one side. She found a proper library, a large room with many ancient tomes and a small section of children's books. Had children once lived here? Sam pondered that as she wandered out into the hallway again.

The next few doors were all bedrooms, a good number looking like they had once been children's rooms at some point. Feeling a little uneasy at the thought of possibly-dead children, Sam left the hallway and trudged back upstairs to see the Witch putting a kettle of tea and some cups down on a small table. Her footsteps on the creaky wood floor alerted the Witch to Sam's presence, and she made a small jerking motion with her head that Sam could only assume was an order to come in and sit down.

Scooting a chair in the room closer to the table, Sam sat down and waited for the Witch to make the first move.

"Those old ninnies call themselves The Revolutionary Order of the Wicked in some sort of sick homage to me. They plan all sorts of rebellious, childish acts against the Emerald City and get many of the Munchkinlanders killed. Innocent lives are lost where those idiots are concerned. I'm not entirely convinced that they're even competent witches, so it's much of a surprise to me that you've even been summoned by storm to our humble Land of Oz."

Sam took a sip of the offered tea and tried to hold back her cough; it was dreadfully hot. "I—I didn't ask for this, you know."

"Yes, you've said that already. But I want to know why your cat thinks you're the greatest thing since Glinda the Good herself became a politician."

Sam set her cup down and pulled her eyebrows together in confusion. "That cat won't tell me anything, so I'm really not sure what you're talking about."

"That cat has told me that you saved an entire world from collapsing with _magic_. But looking at you now, I can't figure out how you could even be capable of any magical feat," the Witch said, sticking her nose in the air. She looked down at Sam with disdain. "You don't look like much, girl."

"Call me Samantha or Sam." At the Witch's quirked eyebrow, Sam added a small, "Please," to her statement. "And I don't know what the cat talks about. I'm not sure he's entirely right in the head. Or maybe that's me. My world doesn't have talking cats or animals, sorry, _Animals_."

The Cat took that moment to gracefully stride into the room and jumped onto one of the chairs. "I take offense to that. And I'm sure you've never stopped long enough to realize that the animals _do _talk; you just don't listen. You used to though. You could hear trees whisper as you walked by, the stray dogs would come say hello, birds said sometimes nasty things as they flew overhead, but you can't hear that anymore."

Sam gave the cat an incredulous look and chanced a peek at the Witch, whose eyebrows both had risen towards her hairline. "You're ridiculous," she said in reply and took a sip of the tea that the Witch had pushed towards her.

The Cat swished its tail and settled it around its legs. "_You're _lost. I know who you are. Do you?"

Sam gave an angry huff and took another sip of the tea, burning her lip on it this time. "Maybe I don't, but if you're not going to be of any help, Artemis, you might just stop talking about it."

The Witch slammed something on the table with an annoyed grunt. "Oh, they've done it this time, those idiots."

Sam jumped at the sudden noise and looked over to the magazine that was open to a picture of Glinda. "Is that a…mugshot?"

The Witch nodded. "Yes, and now everyone is going to know just where she's been kept since she disappeared. Those Monkeys are going to get her killed."

"But Southstairs is a prison, right? How could anyone get down there to do anything to her?"

The Witch rolled up the magazine and tossed it to the other side of the room. "I'm not worried about Ozians, girl. I'm worried about the little brat and her pet fairy going down during visiting hours."

Sam sat back in her chair. "Oh."

"Oh is right," the Witch said in response, "and it looks like I'm going to have to go rescue her before someone else finds her. Always cleaning up her messes."

Sam didn't even have time to respond before the Witch was blowing through the door and out of sight. She stood up, knocking the chair over in the process and quickly moved to follow the Witch. Sam found her in the room with all the books, watching as the Witch threw the window open and donned a thick cloak.

"How are you even going to find her?" Sam asked.

"I'll manage," the Witch said and mounted her broom. With a hard kick, she flew swiftly through the window, the curtains flying out with her in the wind she created. Sam watched as she disappeared into the clouds and out of sight.

"That wasn't an answer to my question."


End file.
